Helping hands: Uniting for Ukraine

Waterline Brewing Company hosted CWS’s inaugural Ukrainian Festival in May to showcase the food, music, dance, and art of new community members from Ukraine. (Photo courtesy of CWS)

Editor’s note: Helping Hands is a recurring feature that spotlights volunteer opportunities for older adults across the Wilmington area. Volunteers with the Church World Service (CWS) in Wilmington help the recent wave of Ukrainian refugees adapt to life in a new country.

Imagine waking up one day in a new place where you don’t understand the language. You don’t have a driver’s license to get around to buy food. You don’t know how to enroll your children in school or even what equivalent grade they should attend. You don’t know how or where to get medical help. And what if you didn’t even have a place of your own to live, no furniture or appliances, no way to cook for your family? This is the harsh reality for a Ukrainian refugee in America.

Rev. Dr. Wesley Magruder is the office director of Church World Services (CWS) in Wilmington, a 501(c)(3) organization that opened in 2022 as a local refugee resettlement office and resource provider for refugees and immigrants in the community. 

Magruder said, “The situation in Ukraine has traumatized an entire generation of men, women and children. Even those who have found shelter in the U.S. still face depression, anxiety and emotional pain. Human connection makes a healthier, more resilient and more confident person. Ultimately, that’s what we do. We provide genuine, compassionate human relationships.”

Anastasiia Chapman, Ukrainian case worker at CWS, came to the United States on her own terms nine years ago. “I tell my Ukrainian clients that it took me almost eight years to understand the medical and school systems in the U.S. If I can shorten that time to one year for a refugee, it’s a blessing,” she said.

Jan Fisher is the CWS volunteer specialist. She said, “Volunteers are essential to our work. Our ambassadors of welcome, as I refer to our volunteers, are the people who walk beside refugees as mentors and friends. As a former volunteer myself, I can tell you it is very rewarding.”

Fisher said that older adults make great volunteers. “Older adults have a depth of life experiences which equip them with a wealth of knowledge. And many older adults have time to ride the bus with a newcomer or just enjoy coffee together,” she said.

Volunteers at CWS serve in a variety of roles. One-on-one English tutoring at a refugee’s home can be done at the kitchen table or on a walk around the neighborhood teaching common words. Groups of five or six volunteers can become sponsors of a Ukrainian family, leading them through the first few months of their new lives buying groceries, driving to medical appointments, taking children to school and organizing their home. Volunteers who own a truck can deliver furniture. And everyone in the community is welcome to attend monthly potluck suppers with refugees to make new friends and share experiences. 

Magruder added, “We resettle lots of older adults who need wisdom about growing older in the United States. In most other cultures in the world, older adults are given great respect and admired for their experience. Refugees are honored to have older adults serve them.”

Chapman, her husband and two children originally homed in Washington state and moved to Wilmington two years ago. It was as a volunteer helping refugees find jobs that Chapman found her role with CWS this past January.

“My Ukrainian nature was calling for warmer climate without nonstop rain. With no particular location in mind, just wanting mountains or beach, we found this beautiful city and moved our family here. It’s cloudy, then rainy, and then it’s gone, much like in Ukraine. It feels like home,” she said. Wilmington is now home to approximately 100 Ukrainian refugees. 

Magruder concluded, “There is nothing more rewarding than making a new friend, and refugees make the best possible friends. They have breathtaking, inspiring stories that will reawaken your faith in the human spirit. They are resilient and tough and will inspire you to persevere through life’s challenges. They are loyal and faithful and will teach you what it means to keep hope alive and they are grateful for every minute you spend with them. Your life will change in ways that you can never imagine.”

Volunteers must be able to commit to at least six months of direct service, one to three hours per week, be 18 years old, attend volunteer orientation/training and complete a background check. To learn more, email Fisher at [email protected] or call 910-870-0693.

Upcoming potlucks take place from 3 to 6 p.m. Pizza, drinks and snacks are provided, and all are welcome to bring a covered dish:

• June 23, 2023 at Halyburton Park Shelter #2.
• July 21, 2023 at Halyburton Park Shelter #1.
• Aug. 18, 2023 at Halyburton Park Shelter #1.
• Sept. 15, 2023 at Halyburton Park Shelter #1.

In honor of World Refugee Day on June 25, 2023, CWS will host an event at Long Leaf Park Shelter #2 from 3 to 5 p.m. Everyone is welcome to attend.